Ward's departure leaves hole in Caps locker room

Ward's departure leaves hole in Caps locker room

THE ROAD AHEAD

In a span of two days, the Capitals locker room lost a pair of “glue guys” who were brought to Washington to help change the culture of a fractured locker room.

On Friday night, about 24 hours after Troy Brouwer was traded to the St. Louis Blues, veteran right wing Joel Ward signed a three-year, $9.825 million contract with the San Jose Sharks.

And just like that, the Caps’ locker room became something less than it was before.

Caps 21-year-old right wing Tom Wilson expressed his gratitude for Ward with a tweet that read: “Can't begin to describe what @JRandalWard42 did for me my first two years. You'll be missed Big Cheese, good luck.”

From the day the Caps’ season ended on May 13, Ward said he wanted to return to Washington. But when his agent, Peter Cooney, requested a four-year extension for the 34-year-old winger, the Caps refrained.

When 48 hours passed and Ward was still remaining on the unrestricted free agent market, it became clear he would not be signing a four-year contract. The Sharks had shown interest from the start, led by head coach Peter DeBoer, who coached against Ward in juniors and got to know him better when they teamed up for Team Canada at the 2014 World Championships.

“I had a few conversations with him just about where I felt he would fit, and how important I thought what he brought to the table was for our group here in San Jose,” DeBoer said.

“When I got a chance to talk to Pete, that really helped sway me of being in a good situation,” said Ward, who had been in contact with about a dozen NHL teams, according to Cooney. “There was a group that wanted me, which is always good to feel loved, as they say.”

It’s a safe bet that whatever love Ward receives from the Sharks he’ll give it right back. His presence in the Capitals’ locker room was undeniably infectious, a hard-working, fun-loving teammate who appreciated everything hockey had given him, despite the loss of his father as a teenager.

“I love playing the game,” Ward said on a conference call with reporters. “I love going to the rink. I’m sure any of my former teammates can tell you I enjoy hanging out with the guys. Just come with a good attitude every day. I just want to win like everybody else does. It makes it a lot easier when you’re in a group that is trying to achieve the same goal as you.”

While Ward scored 43 goals in his last two seasons with the Caps, he built his reputation in the post-season, where he tied with Alex Ovechkin for the team lead in playoff points last season with nine. In his eight-year career with the Wild, Predators and Capitals, Ward averaged .43 points per game in the regular season and .66 points per game in the playoffs.

In 2012, he scored the Game 7 overtime goal in Boston to give the Caps a first-round victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Bruins. He also netted the game-winner with 1.3 seconds remaining in Game 1 against the Rangers this spring.

“If you look at who’s going to show up for the playoffs you look right at Joel Ward,” said Caps veteran left wing Jason Chimera, who finished fourth on the club in playoff scoring with seven points and considers Ward his closest friend. “You have people that can play in the regular season and you have people that step up. A lot of people stepped up, but he’s got that uncanny ability to score big goals at big moments. Not everyone has that, but he does.”

“I think I just love the challenge of playoffs,” Ward said. “Who doesn’t? Hostile environments on the road, everybody’s all over you. … I just go out there and sometimes I’m just fortunate to crack a few in.”

DeBoer reiterated what Barry Trotz and the coaches in Washington already know about Ward.

“What I like best about him is he plays a man’s game,” DeBoer said. “He goes to the blue paint and scores in the dirty areas where the goals come at the toughest time of year. There’s a reason he has success in the playoffs. So, we’re excited to have that element.”

Believe it or not, this isn't the first D.C. vs. Vegas postseason matchup

Believe it or not, this isn't the first D.C. vs. Vegas postseason matchup

THE ROAD AHEAD

In what is perhaps the most unexpected Stanley Cup Final pairing in recent memory, the Washington Capitals and the Las Vegas Golden Knights are going to make history this year.

Either it is going to be the first expansion team to win a title in their first season, or it will be a team looking to end a 27-year title drought for one of the biggest cities in the United States.

But what it will not be is the first D.C. vs. Vegas postseason matchup.

Going even farther back than the Capitals last Stanley Cup appearance (1998), the Georgetown Hoyas and UNLV Rebels met in the 1991 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Sin City took the first, and up until now, the only postseason bout between these two cities. The Larry Johnson-led University of Las Vegas squad powered right past the Hoyas in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.

[D.C. sports and Second Rounds, I know right?]

Coming fresh off the NCAA title in 1990, UNLV waltzed right to the Final Four before meeting their demise against Duke. It also ended up being the last game for Dikembe Mutombo in a Georgetown uniform.

While in all likely-hood this will not be the final game/ series for Alex Ovechkin rocking the red, it may be his last and only chance for him to play this far into a postseason.

In the past two seasons, Vegas has gone from zero professional teams to having a Stanley Cup contender, a WNBA franchise, and lined up to take over the Oakland Raiders in 2020.

Now time for the Golden Knights' Cinderella story to come up a little bit short.

Capitals listed as underdogs in their first Stanley Cup since 1998

Capitals listed as underdogs in their first Stanley Cup since 1998

THE ROAD AHEAD

After years of being the common pick to finally break through and win the Stanley Cup, this was most definitely not the year.

Yet, here we are with the Capitals as one of the final two teams standing.

For their upcoming Stanley Cup Final, the Caps are the underdogs against the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The opening line from OddsShark has the Golden Knights as -135 money line favorites to win the Stanley Cup. The Capitals were listed as +115 underdogs.

Vegas (the betting entity, not the team) has not exactly been the most reliable this year though. After all, the Golden Knights were 100/1 odds to win the whole thing. Now they are four games away.

In their past two series, Washington was not the favorites. The Capitals have not been favorites since the First Round against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

For years in the Alex Ovechkin era, they have been the favorites to not only go on to play for the Stanley Cup but winning it.